Life Sentence
by mindlink
Summary: Nabiki faces off with a foe she cannot conquer...
1. Sorrow & Hope

Life Sentence (part 1)Sorrow & Hope  
  
Nabiki walks home, trembling tense and emotional. She couldn't believe what she heard from the doctor. She is feeling sick, sick to her stomach. She goes home, and walks to her room zombie like. As she cries herself to sleep. She dreams. "Nabiki, please don't cry, be strong for Mommie, take care of your sisters and your father, and keep practicing I'm sure one day you will be better than Kasumi in the arts." Eight year old, Nabiki is beside her dying mom. She is crying heavily and only hears parts of her mother's words as she is lead out by her father so that her mom could rest. Little Nabiki is about to push open the door to see mommie again, instead she overhears the conversation between Soun and Kimiko:   
  
Soun sobbing: "Kimiko we can mortgage the house and pay for further treatments...  
you can get better." Tears streaks down his face.  
Kimiko murmur sadly: "Soun its too late, let me die with dignity,   
Please take care of Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane, I don't think they understand   
that I'm dying."  
Soun: "I love you"  
Kimiko: "I love you"   
Both are crying softly....  
Eight year old Nabiki stares uncomprehending. Later on, in the hospital hall, she hears Soun argue with the doctors for further treatment; however the doctors refuse for the patient is too far gone.  
  
"Mom" breathes Nabiki as she wakes up. ~Why does it have to happen to us. We need you.~ She thought sadly. Then she remembers that she didn't keep one of her mom's requests to keep practicing the art. Her mother's art. She cries again, a knock on the door interrupts her. "Are you ok?" asked Kasumi through the door. Nabiki resumes her ice queen facade. "Yes I'm fine, just a little down with the flu. I'll be down later, I want to sleep in." Faking a cough, she then turns and listens as Kasumi heads back down the stairs. ~Poor Kasumi, taking care of us, she can't continue practicing the art and she was the best of us. Not that there is an art anymore to pass on to the next generation.~ Flashback five years ago:  
  
"Daddy how could you!" The sign for their mom's art was pulled down and given to the dojo destroyer, the challenger bowed and left. Nabiki never spoke to her father again, and stopped training that fateful day. Nabiki frowned as she remembered why she gave up the art. ~I'm sorry mom, I should have kept practicing and win it back.~ She sighs as she remembered why Soun lost. He was still grieving over Kimiko's death, even though it was a year later. He also neglected the dojo and his students resulting in the lost of all their students and his status as a good teacher. After that, no one came back to a losing dojo and a weepy emotional sensei. She frowned further. ~I should trace where my mom's sign is. I will win it back.~ With this thought Nabiki lifted herself out of her depressed grim thoughts. ~I don't have much time, I must make a training regime and catch up all those lost years.~ She grinned as she thought of Ranma. ~maybe, maybe anything is possible.~  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(65 char)Author's Note: About Anything Goes Martial Arts, Strange thing about Tendo and Saotomes and everyone else: Everyone pretty much practices a different type of martial arts, maybe  
it depends on who is related to whom or trained by whom. If Soun didn't really have Genma  
to depend on, his dojo would be ruined, pretty much by his lack of concentration in passing on  
Anything Goes Martial Arts...however it would explain quite a bit of why Soun would stop  
training Akane and why no one really took Akane's martial art prowess seriously if the dojo was teaching another style instead (Kimiko's ??? still thinking of a type of martial arts) for a while. Afterall, Genma and Soun's intentions to join the school, is probably due to the fact that they only had one teacher Happosai and it was recently started by them, Happosai's earliest students.  
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	2. Winds of Change

Life Sentence (part 2)Winds of Change.  
  
Kuno almost grimaced in frustration, he could not reach Nabiki Tendo for days now; no matter who he talked to or asked. Its was like he was deliberately being misdirected for some reason. He needed his weekly fix of pictures. Without them it was hard to imagine new adventures with him rescuing his fair maidens. So here he was hiding in the bushes like that commoner Gosunkugi. He was hoping that Nabiki had a good explaination, it was angering him that a mere woman could avoid him for so long. Then he heard her cronies past by...~Good classes are over.~ Soon he heard Nabiki's voice as she talked to a teacher.   
Hinako "Yes, Happosai explained to me the ways of chi.  
Of course, I have a legal warrant to practice draining are you accusing me of something?"  
"ooH candy! yummy!" Little Hinako walked away. Kuno jumped out, hoping to scare Nabiki. She dropped back into a defenseive stance similiar to her sister Akane. Kuno was surprised by this. She worn a hard determined look which reminded him of his pig tailed goddess and fiery Akane when they were truly determined to date him. "What do you want Kuno? I don't sell pictures anymore. So unless you want an errand done or some advice there is nothing I can offer you." said Nabiki spitefully. Kuno was further surprised by her irrated tone and her object refusal to sell any pictures. "Why Nabiki, what is with you? Surely you are not down with a cold? Or bewitched by the evil socereror Saotome?" Nabiki began to laugh with heartfelt emotion as she relaxed her stance. ~leave it to Kuno to think I was bewitched, if it was only that easy.~ She thought. Kuno stared at the first geniune display of emotion he got from Nabiki. When she stopped laughing and smiled ruefully at him, his imagination got away from him. No one has been that open with Kuno for ages. His own family, was insane. His father aways chopping at his hair, while lecturing him. His sister attempting to drug him whenver they shared a meal and his servant Sasuke doing lackluster work when he thought Kuno was not looking. ~Her sad eyes, such portals of emotion~ thought the captivated Kuno and he started to spew poetry. "My fair Nabiki, let me gladden your heart, for Kuno would date thee."  
"What!?!" yelped Nabiki as she avoided the bearhugging Kuno who now chased her out of the school. Good thing she was training to be the track star of Furinkan high, Nabiki ran home that day breaking all track records around school.   
  
It was a strange year, Kasumi thought to herself as she watched Nabiki and Akane being taught by Ranma sensei in the dojo. She thought back to the strange but good change in Nabiki. Nabiki gave up some of her less amoral activities such as selling pictures of Ranma and Akane. She began instead to offer advice and consultation into achieving goals; which amazingly, Kasumi grinned earned more money. Nabiki was also now a popular girl at school, with a small fan club, like Akane. And she would be graduating by the end of this year. She had joined the track club out of a challenge she received from a student rival from another school. Kasumi thought ~how strange that Nabiki responded to an insult like that she usually shugs them off, maybe its her new behaviour perhaps she feels the need to defend our school. How nice. after all the girl did insulted Tendo honour.~ Now Nabiki is the track star of Furinkan High. She was top in the distrinct and everyone thought she ran like the wind. She also took up training, with the excuse of getting Ranma and Akane to like each other. Kasumi sighed as she thought that this scheme did not work out, even though Nabiki only had good intentions. Akane still did not respect Ranma, and was a stubborn student; whereas, Ranma taught Nabiki well due to her respect of him as a martial artist. She was a quick learner, picking up whatever Ranma taught her with ease. However, Akane always took awhile to learn especially when she doubted the teacher. Her comeptitive nature was also causing her to be jealous of Nabiki's achievements. Kasumi frowned that meant that she needed to lecture Akane. Maybe after her date. She was anticipating her outing with Doctor Tofu who was amazingly less silly each and every time she meet him. She grinned cheerfully, thinking of the good doctor always brighted her spirits. 


	3. Training Time

Life Sentence (part 3) Training Time   
  
Nodoka was surprised by the request. ~So Nabiki wants to learn the arts of Kimiko.~ It was a honourable request. She walked towards the dojo. Good thing, she had learned some of Kimiko's art before her friend died. It would be difficult for Nabiki to piece together her mother's art if there were almost no practioners left. Nodoka stopped in surprises as she watched Nabiki  
flow through forms, Akane speeding through hers as if they were nuisances and Ranma watching both. She never knew Nabiki practiced Anything Goes. She had grown into a fine young woman with surprisingly honorable intentions and a good reputation. Nodoka had heard of Nabiki's track wins and her new after school activities. Nabiki stopped and bowed towards Nodoka. ~She has improve so much, I think she is worthy.~ smiled Nodoka. Ranma and Akane watched as Nodoka instructed Nabiki in the ways of the parting mists.  
  
~She will be a worthy heir, she reminds me so much of you my dear Kimiko.~ Thought Soun as he watched Nabiki jog off into the sunrise with Akane. ~I never thought I would see her lift out of her emotional shell. I thought I had failed you, but here she is, living in your legacy. I must make sure that she achieves her goal of gaining back your arts. I am sorry that I failed you, but I will not let our daughter fail.~ Thought Soun and with that he bellowed at Genma. "Genma I need to speak to you about Nabiki."   
  
Genma looked up surprised from his place at the breakfast table. Soun never bellowed like that. He's been cheerful these days, thought Genma. Ever since Nabiki declared that she would get the sign back for the Tendo arts. ~Hmm...perhaps my old sparring buddy is feeling better. I guess he would want to know where the sign is now and how to help his daughter win at all costs.~ Grinned Genma, ~well he came to the right man.~  
  
Ranma was frustrated, another day of teaching. He knew he was getting better but the fathers kept pushing him to help Akane out more, especially by guiding her form. He didn't want to do that, it was not right, besides if he helped out Akane that way then he need to touch Nabiki like that too. He felted too uneasy over this, and he decided it was too much of a deterent to an already angry Akane. ~Why was she angry anywazs? Nabiki was just refreshing her muscle memory and doing this for light exercise and self defense, she was not going to challenge Akane for the title, not that she had it anywazs~ thought Ranma annoyed, ~I'm the best and after that Ryouga, Mousse, Kuno, Shampoo, Ukyou and then Akane. She didn't even rate anywhere, even Kodachi surpassed her, all because she was still too dependent on her anger and strength in fight situations.~ Ranma walked in the dojo surprised to see Nabiki already there doing some strange katas. Ranma watched her graceful form and started to compare her to Akane subconsciously. ~Good form, more grace and control then Akane, not forced and going with the flow. Why can't Akane get it, nothing about the art is about force, its about getting in control of your body like the way Nabiki is guiding hers.~ Ranma starts clapping. Nabiki stops embrassed. Akane appears and looks suspicously at Ranma. Ranma blushes and stammers in response and gets booted away. "Good one, Akane. There goes our sensei" smirked Nabiki.  
"Oops, sorry Nabiki but why was he clapping anywazs?" Akane muttered in embrassment.  
"Its because I just finished one of Mom's katas."   
"Mom's kata? I didn't know, mom had practiced the art?" Akane asked in surprise.   
"She did, I want to revive it and start to teach it."  
"What you?!?"   
"Why me? Well, Kasumi is going to be a doctor and she has her own brand of martial arts."  
"What is it?" Akane asked confused, intrigued and overwhelmed all at once.   
"Its martial arts house keeping" announced Nabiki with a straight face.  
"What the heck!" says Akane shocked then grinning it suits her.   
  
Soon after her announcement and graduation from high school Nabiki takes a year off and starts to train in earnest. Ranma grumbles about going to school only to earn rebukes and scorn from everyone as they explain the need of a sensei to have a proper education. He then gets annoyed as Akane is the one to point it out and rub it in, that she is better than him at it. He finally decides to apply himself when his mom, lectures him about not being like his father. That alone was enough motivation.  
  
Akane was annoyed, why did Nabiki get to inherit her mother's art, it was her mother too. She should be the one, yet she didn't remember being taught. She growled, as she recalls the argument she had with Nabiki, Kasumi and her dad.   
Soun "You shoud be proud of Nabiki. She is taking an interest in the family's martial arts."   
Kasumi "You will inherit the Anything Goes style, with Ranma. Please Akane, let Nabiki carry  
on Mother's work."  
~grrrr...Ranma why is it alawys Ranma. Now I can't even learn it because of YOU~  
Nabiki "I can teach you, however only after I get the sign back, after that who knows maybe I will open my own dojo or go off on an adventure." Akane is fuming silently.  
Nabiki: "Don't worry about it. Until I'm a true master you can learn it too. Though there are very few practioners left and I don't really qualify." ~I hate her guts, who does she think she is humbling hersself so that Dad and Kasumi suppport her like that.~ After that statement, Nabiki was given permission to train while Akane was lectured to as if she was a spoiled brat about her responsibilites to Ranma and the Anything Goes school. 


End file.
